My thoughts on the Phillies season.

The Phils will conclude their opening series at home with the Marlins tonight.

The Phils (2-3, 3rd) will conclude their opening series at home with the Marlins (2-4, T-4th) with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and is to start at 7:05 pm EDT.

The Phils will send to the mound Joe Blanton (0-1, 13.50) who will be making his first start of the 2012 season. Blanton, who in an injury plagued 2011 complied a record of 1-2 with an ERA of 5.01 and a WHIP of 1.48, as he appeared in just eleven games, eight of which were for starts, pitching in 41.1 innings, striking out 35 batters, while walking 9, is coming off a lost in relief against the Pirates this past Saturday, April 7, as he went two-thirds of an inning, giving up a run on two-hits, in the Phils’ 2-1 ninth-inning lost. Blanton will be out to show that he had fully recovered from his 2011 arm injuries. The Marlins will counter with Mark Buehrle (0-1, 3.00), who had spent 2011 pitching for the White Sox, compling a record of 13-9 with a 3.59 ERA and a WHIP of 1.30, as he started 31 games, pitching in 205.1 innings, striking out 109 batters, while walking 45, as he is coming off a lost against the Reds in his first start as a National Leaguer on April 5, as he went six innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and two walks, while he struck out six, in the Marlins’ 4-0 lost. He will be trying to do better in his second National League start.

The Phils, whose bats had decided to come out last night with a fourteen-hit attack, which included three extra-base hits (2B (2), HR (1)), as they gave their ace Roy Halladay some much needed runs support as they scored seven runs, five of which were in one inning, as Halladay threw another good performance on the mound, as he gave up only one run while scattering five Marlins’ hits, will be trying to end their three-game series with the Marlins on a high note. Blanton will be out to show that his performances during spring training were but a prelude to a good 2012 season, while he hopes that the Phils’ offense will continue to roll. The Phils will be trying to even up their regular season record with a win tonight, before they start a three-game weekend series with the Mets.

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